The expectation of the wine and cheese tasting was probably for the players to mix and mingle. Ownership probably would’ve really liked it if we walked right up to random guests and engaged them, asked them about their favorite pinot noir or some shit like that. That wasn’t me. I wasn’t one to walk up to strangers and start conversations. Besides that, I was hungry as hell. They had me doing a meet and greet for three hours and didn’t even feed me. What type of shit was that?
I walked slowly around the space. It wasn’t very crowded. I mean, it wasn’t empty by any stretch, but the crowd was manageable . . . even for me. I looked for meat. The first table I stopped at offered wagyu beef thinly sliced, gouda cheese, thin sourdough crackers, and a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. I grabbed a little saucer and the tongs and fixed myself something.
The sommelier handed me a small glass of wine. “As you enjoy the beef and the cheese, make sure to take in the complimentary deep, dark flavors of the wine. You’ll taste the fruits—blackberries and plums. You might also taste hints of vanilla.”
I nodded and thanked him. The truth was that I was too damn hungry to savor the flavors. I just needed something to keep my stomach from touching my back. Not only that, I didn’t even like wine. I wolfed down the food before I’d even gotten away from his table. I couldn’t lie, though. The beef paired with the gouda on the little cracker was fye. I wished I’d grabbed more than just three. I set the untouched glass of wine and my empty saucer on a tray designated for trash, and I started to move away when I bumped into something short and soft.
I looked down and came face to face with the beauty that Wilcox had been harassing at the meet and greet. She was in the same green floral dress, but she’d traded the high-heeled sandals for sneakers.
I reached out and grabbed her lightly after the impact. “My bad.”
She looked up at me as a shy small smile came across her shiny pale pink lips. “Sorry.”
“Nah, that was all me,” I assured her. “I wasn’t looking where I was going. You cool?”
“I feel like you keep having to ask me that. And yeah, I’m cool.”
“Good. Good.” I kept staring at her like a creep, but for some reason, she had me stuck. I finally snapped out of it. “Uh, I’m Spence. Spencer, but I prefer to be called Spence.”
She smiled. “Soleil.”
I smiled back. “Okay. Sun. That tracks.”
“You know the meaning of my name?”
“Yeah.” I ran my hand over the waves on my head. “Yeah. My parents are from the island of Martinique. They made sure that I spoke French as well as I speak English. Your family French?”
“My mama was from Chicago, but my daddy’s French creole. New Orleans. He says when I was born, I lit up his life like the sun.” She slapped a hand over her mouth. “Oh my gosh. I don’tknow why I just told you that. I don’t know why I’m holding you up. I’m sure you have people to see and places to go.”
“Nah.” I shook my head back and forth in the negative. “I’m right where I’m supposed to be. I mean, I’m right where I’m scheduled to be. Wine and cheese tasting from 2:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m.”
“Have you tasted anything good so far?”
I looked down at her again. “Nah. You wanna explore?”
She swallowed, then seemed to compose herself. “Yeah, okay.”
“What’s your favorite wine?”
She scoffed, and it was cute. “To be honest, I don’t even like wine.”
“A woman after my own heart,” I said after chuckling lightly. “You don’t drink?”
“Um, tequila.”
I laughed aloud. “A woman after my own heart.”
She chuckled. “Actually, I saw that this was up next on the itinerary. There was this, a meet and greet with four different players, a tour of the brand-new golf course, or a movie about the proposed wing that Mr. Beckenbracken is planning to add to the children’s hospital. This seemed like the best option for me.”
“You hungry? We could always base our choices on which tables to hit up on the food.”
“I’m starving. Let’s do that.”
“I just had the wagyu beef and some crackers.”
“Some crackers? They don’t have any bread? I’m hungry. I’m trying to make a sandwich.”
I laughed again. “I can see why your father says that you bring the sunshine.”
